Do you have to get a police report at the scene or can you get an officer to look at your car later?

Answer 1

If there is no police accident investigation at the scene of the accident, all the police can do is document the time, location, vehicles and/or property, and people involved in the accident. There will be no determination as to whether a traffic violation occurred.

Police investigations don't generally determine "fault." That is a civil finding associated with assessing damages against one party or another. At an accident scene, the police document the accident scene and issue citations to (or arrest, if the violations are severe) anyone who has committed a violation. The disposition of those charges is often the basis an insurance company or civil court will use to determine "fault."

If you have been involved in an accident with no investigation at the scene, and later take your car to the police station with a request that an officer "look at it," the likely response will be something like, "yep, that's a crushed fender, all right." The officer, having no way of knowing (other than your explanation) how the damage occurred, is unlikely to render an accident report. So, it's best to have an accident investigated at the scene of the accident, with all parties present and vehicles in place. An exception would be where the accident occurs on a busy highway and the vehicles are still drivable. Most highway patrols will prefer you pull to the shoulder and call the police from there, so as not to jam up traffic and create a greater hazard.

All that said, many law enforcement agencies are overextended, and will not respond to a non-injury accident, or one that occurs on private property. If that is your situation, you can do a pretty good job of documenting the accident if you write down the year, make and models of the vehicles involved, as well as the names, addresses and dates of birth of all the vehicle occupants and any witnesses. Also include the drivers license number and insurance provider for all the drivers.

Your insurance company probably has a form or kit they will provide for free, so you won't forget to record the necessary details. In this kit, write down your own name, address, date of birth, drivers license number, vehicle make, model and license number, and insurance carrier for the other driver, so it's ready to go if you have an accident.

Also, keep an inexpensive digital camera (and fresh batteries) or a disposable camera in your car to take pictures, if necessary. Take as many pictures as you can, from every angle, and get the vehicle driver/occupants in the pictures. There's no such thing as too many pictures in this situation, especially if they're digital and you aren't paying for film or processing.